Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-05-26
IRONTON. MO. THURSDAY. NAY 1897.
NUMBER 40.

mountains, where we get good views
of the lakes and islands and the distant
waterfalls; and late in the afternoon
| find ourselves near the famous Muck
cross Abbey
If my guides story is to be believed,
and he tells it as if he not only believes
it himself, but also expects ME to be-
lieve it-this Abbey dates back long
before the Christian Era.
"Long years ago monk had vision
which told him he must go to place
called Muckcross and found an abbey.
He. not knowing where the place was,
began his journey. expecting to be in
formed in some miraculous way, when
his quest was at an end. After many
days of weary marches and nights of
lonely rest, through bogs and briars
and tangled wood he reached the spot,
though still unknown to him; he laid
his wearied body down beneath the
spreading branches of an immense yew
tree, near the bank of Killarney lake.
An old woman and her little daughter
hunting their COW the next morning,
while it was yet dark, awoke the
monk, and 10! before him stood the alb
bey, built in single night, of solid
stone and mortar-and not stick Of
timber nigh it," It is held as a mira
Gle to this day. In proof of it is the fact
that in the centre of the ruins now
stands that same yew tree, Is feet in
circumference as I measured it. and its
limbs spread and overtop the walls
which encircIe it.
The day following, Sunday, 10th inst.
I spent in Dublin, visiting some of the
finest churches; the cemetery, which
is kept in the best order possible, and
among the many thousands Of monu-
ments: the largest is the O'Conneil;
Phoenix Park, which has many inter-
esting monuments: the largest is We'll
lington's. This park contains 100 acres
and Is said to be the largest in the king
dom. Many hundreds of very lean and
tame deer were grazing on the lawns.
But do not find the cities so interest
ing, and hasten on by the night train
to Belfast; from there on the $3.50 train
to Port Rush, which is at the northern
extremity OF the Island. From Port
Rush to the Giants Causeway is thir-
teen miles, and thus trip may be made
over an electric railway. 1t Is one of
only four roads of this kind in Europe.
l ride but half way out on it, when at
the suggestion Of Mr.. Hutchinson, a
landlord living near, we stop the train
and get off for walk along the sea
shore, which proves to be very pleas
ant indeed
My guide, who is real gentleman
this time, has just come into possession
of large property through the death
OF his brother, and being now the eld-
est son. He points out to me the house
built by his grandfather more than a
hundred years ago, and gives me quite
history Of the neighborhood gener-
ally. Walking along the very edge Of
the sea. the waves come rolling in and
often compel us to retreat before the
advance of big one. When we are
nearly to the hotel at the Causeway
my guide leaves mel meet him again
on my return to Belfast in the evening
to the mercies of the regulation guides
of the place. AS J near the hotel am
overtaken by one who has left his po-
tato planting for a more profitable job.
t. Sc hot o1, Char
man the place." and dear knows how
many other prominent men from
America. I engage him at once.
Archie Fault, he tells me, is his name.
After a hearty lunch-I am hungrier
than have been in many years-we
proceed to explore the Causeway,
"around
Whose caverned base the whirpools and
Bursting and eddying irresistibly,
Rage and rcsound forever"
The first point is to see the caves
which lie under the rocks n. w. of the
hotel. The principal and most beauti-
full is Perthcoon into which boat may
be rowed for a long distance. 1t is $50
feet in length and 45 feet high. We
descend the precipitous bluff to the
shore, and embark on small boat
with two oarsmen. The wind is blow
ing strong and quite little sea is on; we
proceed at once to the cave above
| mentioned; when we come to the en-
| trance the boat stops, waiting for fav-
orable chance to enter. The opening
is narrow, and dark. The wind is
blowing inshore, and the waves dash
ing themselves into foam OH the rocks
at either side of the cave. / would
almost rather have been back on terra
frnaa again, but the guide says there
is not any danger-he had taken my
old commander through safely, and SO
he would me. Putting their oars into
the water, they selected wnat seemed
a favorable wave-one of the largest,
and we went sailing into the mouth of
the cave, aud disappeared in the dark
Iness. At about $50 feet from the en-
ptrance we came to place wide enough
to turn the boat arouud. Facing the
light brought to view the contrast be-
tween the peroxide of iron with which
the cave Is lined, and the deep green
sea water below.
Dunkerry cave was next visited. 1t
mucn larger, but Of the same charac-
~